Savannah Sutherland lowers NCAA and Canadian women's 400m hurdles marks in 4-record effort

University of Michigan hurdler Savannah Sutherland of Borden, Sask., set four records Saturday on the final day of competition at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Ore.

The 21-year-old achieved marks for her school, NCAA, NCAA Championship meet and Canada, crossing the finish line in 52.46 seconds to beat Akala Garrett (54.66) of Texas in the 400-metre event. Sutherland's previous national record time of 53.26 stood since last June 8.

Saturday's performance was nearly 3-10ths of a second faster than U.S. Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's collegiate record of 52.75. Sutherland and McLaughlin-Levrone are the only women's runners in NCAA history to break 53 seconds.

Sutherland, who placed seventh in the Paris Olympic final last Aug. 8, also tied world champion Femke Bol for the world lead this season, behind only McLaughlin-Levrone (52.07).

On Friday, Sutherland started strong and maintained her lead throughout the race, extending her advantage in the one-lap race with each clearing of the 10 hurdles, for her third consecutive top-two finish in the event at NCAA Championships.

She finished fourth in her 2022 freshman year.

On May 18, Sutherland won her third straight title at the Big Ten Championships in Eugene, taking each round by over two seconds.

The top-ranked NCAA athlete in women's 400m hurdles made history last summer in Paris.

At 21, Sutherland was the youngest member of the Canadian track and field team to reach an individual Olympic final and Canada's first woman to reach a 400m hurdles final since the 1996 Atlanta Games.